6-25-12

Power of Ten Update

In this edition:

  1. Budget passes by 3-1 margin
  2. Superintendent Klein lays off legendary marching band director, Nyack snaps him up
  3. NY State looks to roll back the clock on school desegregation 
  4. Spring Valley Senior Class President produces documentary video
  5. message from the editor
1) Budget passes by 3-1 margin
The  budget vote count on June 19 was 3562 YES and 1217 NO.  The budget which was passed included massive layoffs and cuts to programs.  A summary of layoffs can be found at: http://poweroften.us/highlights/2012-layoffs/ (note: because this is a pdf file, it may not be viewable from some smartphones)
2) Superintendent Klein lays off Legendary Band Director Michael Smith
For 27 years, Mr. Smith has led the World Famous East Ramapo Marching Band to Championships, Film and Television appearances, and over 600 local events.
What kind of school leadership would let go an individual responsible for so much success?
By letting Mr. Smith go, the Superintendent has betrayed the stated vision, values and mission of the district.   The board and the Superintendent have once again turned a deaf ear to the students and parents, who have come to many board meetings to emphasize that the Marching Band and Mr. Smith are achieving excellence.
The Nyack school District has benefited from our loss; they hired Mr. Smith immediately upon hearing he had been let go from East Ramapo.  They are looking forward to him bringing the magic to Nyack students that he has brought to East Ramapo for 27 years.
3) New law would legalize “family background” as criteria for placement
In a previous update, it was reported that NYSED found the East Ramapo district to be in violation of regulations pertaining to placement of special education students.  These violations occur when the district makes placements based on race, religion, or ethnicity rather than educational assessment.
A new law has been proposed which would allow the district to make these placements at taxpayer expense.  Only governor Cuomo can stop this bill from becoming law.  The following letter has been created as a template for you to write and express your view regarding this bill:

Dear Governor Cuomo,

The recently passed bill (NY State Assembly A10722 and Senate S7722) “Relates to determinations of appropriate educational programs for certain students” is a very dangerous bill. This bill is discriminatory in nature and was devised to circumvent Brown vs. the Board of Education!

This legislation would allow factors such as race, religion, or ethnicity to be taken into account for placement of special education students. This bill would make a mockery of Brown versus the Board of Education and encourage parents who desire segregated education at public expense to reframe a racist agenda as a multicultural one.  Allowing a consideration of “differences between the school environment and the child’s home environment and family background” in special education placement is clearly code for an agenda to school segregation supported by our tax dollars.

Please do not allow this bill to become law. It would be setback to decades of anti-discrimination and desegregation efforts, with NY State leading the way.

Thanks, (your name)

Please send your letter using the Governor’s contact form at: http://www.governor.ny.gov/ContacttheGovernor

4) Student Documentary Video by Hernz Laguerre

Spring Valley Student Body President Hernz Laguerre has created a video documenting the importance of extra-curricular activities in education.  Don’t miss this important video!

5) Message from the editor

Please take some time to look over the content on the power of ten website.  The story of our struggle is told there in documents such as the Comptroller’s report, the NYSED violation notice, and the Commissioner’s Hillcrest sale decision. It is documented in the videos of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members pleading with the board not to destroy our educational system.

This is a system which has been built up with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and countless hours of labor.  This is a system which has produced thousands of proud graduates who are contributing to society today.  This is a system which was once considered one of the top systems in the state.  According to Former Assistant Superintendent Joe Farmer, what is happening now is the systematic dismantling of this system, which amounts to a power grab that will destroy the potential of this community. In his words, “This is War!”

For years, those who have been at the helm have cited financial reasons for their actions.  But how does this explain that they created a paid position (treasurer) for a close friend, Israel Bier? This job had previously been performed by a district employee at no extra cost.  How does this explain that they replaced our long time attorney for one that cost about four times as much per hour? Or trying to sell two schools for a fraction of the appraised value? How about losing track of millions of dollars worth of textbooks loaned to their friends who run non-public schools, or violating regulations of the state to place students in non-public schools at public expense?  Is any of this sound financial policy for the district?

And then they fired Pedro Santana, the most effective and beloved administrator the district has ever seen.  And now they have let the LEGENDARY band leader Michael E. Smith go.

These were the two most prominent district wide employees who were inspiring pride and hope in the staff and the students.  

There is a documented statement by a lawyer for a non-public school that asserts a direct connection between failing public schools and opportunities for non-public schools: In a letter to the town of Ramapo in 2008, Mark Kurzman, a Pearl River attorney representing Bobover, said “there has been a serious, growing areawide need for yeshiva classroom space on all grade levels.”  He said yeshiva builders were competing with residential builders for land, adding that “the pressure is intensified by the fact that it has been well over 10 years since the (East Ramapo) school district has sold any of its sites as surplus.”

Were the board members whose close family and professional ties to the non-public school users sincerely trying to protect the public interest, or was this a ‘power grab’ to ‘dismantle’ public education in response to ‘intense pressure’ ?  The record shows that they have been cited time and again for failure to protect the taxpayer’s interest. The record shows that they have taken actions which hurt the reputation and morale of the district even when there is no financial reason for doing so.  This message is to the school board and the Superintendent: you are what your record says that you are.

6-18-12

Power of Ten Update

In this edition:

  1. Marching Band Director leads list of massive layoffs!
  2. How much did district pay for sending kids to private school?
  3. Budget vote on June 19
  4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute
  5. Message from the editor

1. East Ramapo Announces Massive Layoffs

The board has voted on a program of layoffs which are absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. Leading the list as the most ridiculous personnel move the board has made since it fired Pedro Santana, They have now voted to layoff Michael E. Smith. For 27 years, Mr. Smith has led the World Famous East Ramapo Marching Band to Championships, Film and Television appearances, and over 600 local events. What kind of school leadership would let go an individual responsible for so much success?

Also receiving layoff notices were BOTH Ms. Esquivel and Mr. Forman of Ramapo High School, and Ms. Greene and Mr. Winfield of Spring Valley HS.

There were dozens of other layoff notices, ALL of which will affect the educational program.

The complete list is available at: http://poweroften.us/new/2012-layoffs/

These layoffs are the direct result of choices made by the school board, NOT external financial factors or union contracts.

2. Impact of Non-compliance from NY State Education Dept.

In the last update, we learned that East Ramapo has been forced to post a notice to the community regarding the result of a finding of continuing non-compliance with regulations pertaining to placement of special education students.

We are now stuck footing the bill for these unapproved placements.

It was the school board’s choice to over-rule their own special education committee and NY state regulations. NY State will NOT reimburse these unapproved placements. According to the notice, there were between 86 and 90 such placements over the past two years. Placement in some cases can cost over $90,000 per student!

3. Budget vote on June 19

If you feel that the crass manipulations of the board are making you feel like your vote doesn’t count, take a few minutes when you get home from the poll and WRITE your representative about how you feel AT THAT MOMENT:

NYSED fraud, waste, and abuse line: http://www.oms.nysed.gov/oas/fraud/

Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Ellen-Jaffee/

Senator David Carlucci: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/david-carlucci/contact

Governor Andrew Cuomo: http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

NY State board of Regents: RegentsOffice@mail.nysed.gov

Rockland Journal News: ncutler@lohud.com

Rockland County Times: editor@rocklandtimes.com

4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute

Saturday, June 30, 2012 6:00 PM

The CEJJES Institute

5 Cooper Morris Drive Pomona, NY

Donation requested Adults $5 Students Free

What is the future of Education in East Ramapo? What does it mean for our children? What does this mean for the community of color? How do we move forward? If you are an administrator, teacher; educator or just a concerned member of the community we want to hear your voice. Please come out and take part in this very important conversation.

rsvp required to: CEJJESinst@gmail.com or 845 362 8610 by June 25th, 2012

6. Message from the editor

The layoffs that were announced this week are unconscionable. Our district has growing enrollment, stagnant teacher salaries, and more students with special needs than other districts in Rockland. Our district receives almost half of its resources from federal and state funding, but more than half of that goes to pay for services to non-public schools. The school board, dominated by members with family and community ties to those schools, chose to send local tax dollars to non-public schools, rather than use them to retain needed staff in the public schools. This is not a pro-taxpayer board. This is an anti-education board. They are being or have recently been investigated by the NY State Attorney General, the NY State Comptroller, The US Department of Education Civil Rights Division, and the NY State Education Department. The investigations come about because of complaints from people like YOU. Please write to your representatives and the other contacts listed above. With pressure, we will achieve a better education for our students and a better balance in our community. – Steven White, editor

 

6-12-12

In this edition:
  1. Attorney general probing East Ramapo real estate dealings
  2. Notice of Non-compliance from NY State Education Dept.
  3. East Ramapo Underground Radio is back!
  4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute
  5. Budget vote on June 19
  6. Message from the editor
1. Attorney general probing East Ramapo real estate dealings
The Journal News has reported that the NY State Attorney General has subpoenaed records related to the attempted sale and current leases of two school buildings.
It should be noted that public school students and staff were evicted from these buildings by the school board under the pretext that enrollment was down. Actual enrollment this year is up by over 1000 students from projections made by the board. Overcrowding is now a serious concern, with one high school at 159% of recommended capacity.
We knew that closing schools was bad educational policy for our students. We knew that selling schools in a hurry did not adhere to the fiduciary duty to the taxpayer. We should not be surprised if it turns out that NY State law was violated too.
2. Notice of Non-compliance from NY State Education Dept.
East Ramapo has been forced to post a notice to the community regarding the result of a finding of continuing non-compliance.
In April 2010 NYSED found the district to be in violation of regulations pertaining to placement of special education students. These regulations are designed to promote placement in the environment which is most beneficial to educational outcomes for these students. It appears that the district may have been more concerned about parents desire for a segregated environment than about what was best for the students education. As it turns out, this was also bad for the taxpayer as the property owner has now been stuck footing the bill for these unapproved placements. The cost to East Ramapo property taxpayer for educating these special education students is in the millions of dollars. These students could have been receiving a superior education at state expense, and the money currently being sent to private religious special education schools could have been spent on improving the outcomes for our sistrict, which now has several schools deemed ‘in need of improvement’ by NY State.
3. East Ramapo Underground Radio is back!
The East Ramapo Underground radio show is back! The 2nd Friday of the month @ 10 o’clock on WRCR-1300AM tune in to find out what is happening in the East Ramapo School District. Each monthly show will be for an hour!
Find out what the school district doesn’t want you to know. The show is broadcast live over the internet at www.wrcr.com or if you can’t listen live, the show will be on our Facebook page. The studio number to call in is 845-362-0013.
Your co-hosts
Peggy Hatton & Antonio Luciano
4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute
Saturday, June 30, 2012 6:00 PM
The CEJJES Institute
5 Cooper Morris Drive Pomona, NY

Donation requested Adults $5 Students Free

What is the future of Education in East Ramapo? What does it mean for our children? What does this mean for the community of color? How do we move forward? If you are an administrator, teacher; educator or just a concerned member of the community we want to hear your voice. Please come out and take part in this very important conversation.
rsvp required to: CEJJESinst@gmail.com or 845 362 8610 by June 25th, 2012
5. Budget vote on June 19
According to the superintendent, the May 15 budget was voted down as a crass manipulation to prevent public school parents Kim Foskew, Hiram Rivera, and JoAnne Thompson from being elected to the school board.
The same budget will be put up for a revote on June 19. Please do not allow the cynicism and pettiness of the board or the administration to deter you from exercising your right to vote. In the last message, I provided information of where to write to if you are sick and tired of the unethical behavior of the board and the administration. Don’t respond to this challenge by doing less. If you feel that the crass manipulations of the board are making you feel like your vote doesn’t count, take a few minutes when you get home from the poll and WRITE your representative about how you feel AT THAT MOMENT.
6. Message from the editor

Several years ago, the makeup of the East Ramapo School board changed. The majority of the members of the school board became people with strong family and community ties to private schools, specifically private religious schools for the ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Many people were concerned that this school board would use its authority to shift the priorities of the district more toward those schools and the segregated community that they serve. Others felt that the new board could faithfully serve both communities. Any citizen of the district has the right to run for school board, by law. Over the years there have been many confrontations over issues such as budget items and school closings. The non-public school members of the public school board have maintained that their main goal is fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers which necessitates controlling spending.

 

However, several of their actions have been contrary to that cause:

  • They created a paid position (treasurer) for a close friend, Israel Bier. This job had previously been performed by a district employee at no extra cost.
  • They replaced an attorney for one that cost about 4 times as much per hour.
  • They sold a school (Hillcrest) for a fraction of the appraised value (fortunately the State Education Department halted the sale). Another school sale (Colton) is being held up by the state for similar reasons after a taxpayer complained that they were selling public property without doing their fiduciary duty to get the best return for the taxpayer.
  • They fired Pedro Santana, the most effective and beloved administrator the district has ever seen (according to staff, students and parents).
  • While many of our buildings are in need of millions of dollars of repairs, the two schools that the board voted to sell to non-public schools were the only ones that the state says need no money for repairs over the next 5 years.
  • One of the most powerful of the non-public school board members, Nathan Rothschild, who was president of the board, has been sentenced to federal prison for fraud involving a real estate transaction for another public agency (he was a fire commissioner).
  • The district has been cited by the NY State Comptroller for lack of oversight of millions of dollars of public materials loaned to private schools.
  • The district has been cited by the NY State Education Department Special Education Quality Assurance division for improper placement of students in private schools when a public school would provide superior educational opportunity.

All of this evidence points to the conclusion that what seemed to be a conflict of interest, is indeed a conflict of interest.

 

The people most directly affected (students and parents) have tried every avenue available to them to protect the quality of education in the district. They have written to every elected and appointed official. They have filed formal appeals with the state. They have raised funds and run coordinated elections bringing out triple the voter turnout of any nearby district. While there have been some achievements, the underlying problem- conflict of interest- has not been resolved.

 

In a recent board meeting, one of the board members made quite a long speech essentially alleging that all of the complaints from the parents and students are not based on any of the actions that he and his colleagues have taken, but rather were based only on prejudice on the part of the public. This is an obvious attempt to change the discourse away from the facts, which have been presented to the board in precise detail by students, staff, and parents over the years, all of which is well documented in video form on youtube at www.youtube.com/luckylouproduction

6-4-12

Power of Ten Update

Calling all letter writers!

There were FOUR excellent letters published in the Journal News this week:

Questions about East Ramapo vote

Demand better in East Ramapo

Blame East Ramapo school board’s indifference, not teachers, for woes

Disenfranchised in East Ramapo

These have provoked a call to action from a well-known advocate for quality education:
Hi All,
Perhaps it is time that Albany listen to the folks here in East Ramapo. Drastic times calls for drastic measures. Below you will find 4 opinion pieces by community members who are displeased with the happenings here in East Ramapo.
Please take a few minutes to read these letters and pass them on to others who care about East Ramapo public education.
Please join me and send your own letters to Albany demanding better for our kids. – Peggy Hatton
The following is a list of links to help you get started on your letter writing campaign. The best advice for letter writing is to write about your own personal experience- what you know and what you feel. It is more important to say what it is you really want to say than to have perfect grammar. Remember, the elected representatives work FOR YOU, and a letter to the paper is a letter to your friends and neighbors.
NYSED fraud, waste, and abuse line: http://www.oms.nysed.gov/oas/fraud/
NY State board of Regents: RegentsOffice@mail.nysed.gov
Rockland Journal News: ncutler@lohud.com
Rockland County Times: editor@rocklandtimes.com